J.D. Schramm

J.D. Schramm serves as Lecturer of Communication at the University of Southern California's Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism, specializing in Communication Management (MCG). With over 20 years of teaching experience at Stanford, Columbia, and NYU, Schramm mentors leaders in defining and sharing difficult stories that need to be told.

Schramm holds an EdD in higher education leadership from the University of Pennsylvania, an MBA from NYU's Stern School of Business, and a BFA in theater from Emporia State University. His interdisciplinary background blends business strategy, educational leadership, and performance arts.

His research focuses on communication strategies for leadership, exploring how storytelling, resilience, and authentic messaging inspire action. Schramm has developed frameworks around mindset, message, and mastery as foundations for impactful communication, with particular emphasis on high-stakes situations, LGBTQ+ leadership presence, and transforming failure into growth opportunities.

Schramm's publications include the 2020 Wiley-published book 'Communicate with mastery' and his 2022 memoir 'The bridge back to life.' His writing has appeared in the Washington Post, San Francisco Chronicle, Huffington Post, and HBR Online. He has spoken at TED/TEDx events and coached numerous speakers for such presentations.

• Worked with Aspen Institute Presidential Fellows
• Consulted for Facebook, Google, and Genentech
• Coached Stanford Medicine's Frontiers in Medicine speakers since 2014
• Keynote speaker including MIT's 'FAIL! – Inspiring Resilience' (2021)

An active LGBTQ community member, Schramm focuses on inclusion efforts in higher education and religious communities. He advocates for suicide prevention, foster care services, and HIV/AIDS research. Schramm lives in San Francisco with his husband Reverend Ken Daigle and their three children.